Health Care ala Comcast

So, I flipped over to Comcast.net last night to check my email on-line. The top "news" headline was this:

FACT CHECK: Health overhaul myths taking root
Constituents of Congressman Tom Perriello, D-Va., holds signs as they listen to the congressman during a town hall meeting on Health Care at the Fluvanna Middle School in Fork Union, Va., Monday, Aug. 17, 2009. Perriello is one of three dozen Democratic Freshmen that have been thrown into the center of one of the most contentious policy debates in years. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Last night there was another sub-headline saying something about reading the top myths debunked.... It struck me that the tone was rather biased but I didn't have time to read it, was past my bedtime already... snooze, snore, beauty sleep needed more than ever these days!

This morning as I guzzled me first cup-a-caffeine I remembered the article and popped over to read it in its entirety.

Comcast/AP article: The judgment is harsh in a new poll that finds Americans worried about the government taking over health insurance, cutting off treatment to the elderly and giving coverage to illegal immigrants. Harsh, but not based on facts.

Me: That's a judgement in itself. I personally am not privy to all the things being discussed behind closed doors in Washington by those who are pushing this through. Just 'cause something is not spelled out in a Bill doesn't mean it's not being discussed, ready to be added later, etc., etc. The proper wording might be "Harsh, but not NECESSARILY..." or "Harsh, but currently not spelled out in any of the written versions..."

Comcast / AP: President Barack Obama's lack of a detailed plan for overhauling health care is letting critics fill in the blanks in the public's mind. In reality, Washington is not working on "death panels" or nationalization of health care.

Me: How does this reporter KNOW what's being done in Washington when those who are putting the Bill together can't specify what's in it? I would beg to disagree re: "nationalization of health care". If the government has a public option, there just isn't any way that it won't end up putting private health care in a tail spin that ultimately results in the nationalization of health care. The Bills currently being worked on don't say "nationalization", but it'll be the end result. Again, the reporter is making a judgement.

Comcast / AP: Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia, who has been a proponent of coverage for end-of-life counseling under Medicare, said such sessions are a voluntary benefit, strictly between doctor and patient, and it was "nuts" to think death panels are looming or euthanasia is part of the equation.

Me: Johnny Isakson has NOT been a proponent of end-of-life counseling. Here's Johnny Isakson in his own words after Obama linked him like the reporter continues to do... "U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today denounced comments made by President Obama and his spokesman regarding Isakson’s alleged connection to language contained in the House health care bill on “end-of-life counseling... Isakson vehemently opposes the House and Senate health care bills and he played no role in drafting language added to the House bill by House Democrats calling for the government to incentivize doctors by offering them money to conduct “end-of-life counseling” (read his entire statement here: http://www.georgiafrontpage.com/politics/isakson/09/8-11-09_flawed-health-bill.html)

Anywaze, I hafta get to work, can't take time to debunk the entire article. It's not a news article, it's propaganda. It's the view of someone who's pro-Obama, pro-Obamacare and they took a few isolated items and strung an article together to try and help Obama sway the public.

I've been writing news articles, public relations and media articles and blogs for years. I know the difference. I also know how to write a "news" article that promotes a viewpoint and how to write one that is vanilla, no bias.

Blogs, like this one, are for opinions. Yes, they're often news and they're often laced with facts, but they give one the opportunity to stray into thoughts, personal viewpoints and have a bit of fun. Headline stories like the one above that Comcast chose as their main story belong in a blog, not on the front page as "news".